Review: The Burglar by Thomas Perry

Title: The Burglar

Author: Thomas Perry

Published: January 2019, Mysterious Press

Format: ARC Paperback, 304 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary: 

From Thomas Perry
comes a new thriller about an unlikely burglar–a young woman in her
20s–who realizes she must solve a string of murders, or else become the
next victim

Elle Stowell is a young woman with an
unconventional profession: burglary. But Elle is no petty thief–with
just the right combination of smarts, looks, and skills, she can easily
stroll through ritzy Bel Air neighborhoods and pick out the perfect home
for plucking the most valuable items. This is how Elle has always
gotten by–she is good at it, and she thrives on the thrill. But after
stumbling upon a grisly triple homicide while stealing from the home of a
wealthy art dealer, Elle discovers that she is no longer the only one
sneaking around. Somebody is searching for her.

As Elle realizes
that her knowledge of the high-profile murder has made her a target, she
races to solve the case before becoming the next casualty, using her
breaking-and-entering skills to uncover the truth about exactly who the
victims were and why someone might have wanted them dead. With
high-stakes action and shocking revelations, The Burglar will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they barrel towards the heart-racing conclusion.

My thoughts: This is the first book I’ve read by Thomas Perry, an author I had never heard of until I was at Book Expo this past Spring. I read the blurb and was intrigued enough to give this book a go. I’m glad I did, but I have to say I was left a little underwhelmed. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

I think what first drew me into this book, what intrigued me was that there was a female protagonist who is a burglar but finds herself walking into the middle of a murder scene. I love amateur detective novels, and haven’t read any where the our main character has been a burglar, let alone a female burglar. But I felt that there were too many parts where this book had the feel of a how-to manual – how to be a burglar and that wasn’t what I wanted. 

I will say that this is a fast-paced read with quite a few twists that keeps you interested…I was hooked, though I did have a hard time connecting to Elle. I just felt that she was emotionally detached from everything, even when it became personal to her.  

This was the type of book that I just had to keep reading even though I wasn’t loving it…do you ever find that? I needed to see how it was going to be resolved. And I’m glad I did. Now I need to decide if I’m going to read more from this author – an author from what I can tell has quite a few other good thrillers out there. If you have read him before, what book should I read next from him?